Khaleda’s ultimatum aimed at inviting 1/11-like situation: PM

 Prime Minster Sheikh Hasina on Thursday said the opposition leader Khaleda Zia’s 48-hour ultimatum was aimed at inviting 1/11-like situation in the country.

“The ultimatum was given to invite the 1/11- and 2007-08-like situation in the country,” she said in her introductory speech at a coordination meeting of 14-party alliance at her official residence Ganobhaban.

Sheikh Hasina, also the President of the ruling Awami League, mentioned that the opposition leader now wants to push the country into a horrible situation as prevailed in the country during 2007-08 under the army-backed caretaker government.

She said the then caretaker government had come up with some ridiculous plans and put the country in a deplorable condition. “They had blocked all the paths of progress of the country.”

The Prime Minister recalled the repressive acts carried by the caretaker government during their two-year tenure.

Hasina also mentioned that the caretaker government had wanted to remain in power forever. They arrested politicians, businessmen, students and so many people, and demolished century-old rural markets in the country creating an era of horror, she said.

She said the army-backed caretaker government picked up businessmen and took huge money in ransom. “As the army-backed caretaker government wanted to perpetuate their power, they tried to form a national government to skip the election.”

But, she said, the people of the country foiled that conspiracy of the caretaker government. “We want to drive the country on the path of progress by establishing democracy.”

Referring to destructive programmes of the opposition, Hasina said the main opposition is out to oust the government so that they could stop the trial of the war criminals.

“This is their main agenda…they’re trying to implement it,” she said adding that the trial of war criminals will be held on Bangladesh’s soil.

Hasina said the trial of the war criminals is going on and the verdicts are coming despite the obstacles and obstructions. “This is the stigma of the nation, we want to remove this stigma by conducting the trial of the war criminals,” she added.